FCC Consumer Complaints – January 2016
Introduction
A total of 25639 consumer complaints relating to telecommunications services were recorded by the Federal Communications Commission in January 2016, this represented an increase from the 25252 complaints recorded the month before. Reports were received from 54 states and territories, with California recording slightly more complaints than other locations. Complaints relating to Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) were marginally higher than for other issue types.
Key statistics
- Total complaints
- 25639
- Days with complaint data
- 31
- Days with complaints
- 31
- States & territories reporting
- 54
- Most common issue
- Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) (8283)
- Most reported state/territory
- California (3079)
Daily complaint activity
Across the month, the FCC recorded an average of 827.1 complaints per day. The highest daily total was 1272 complaints on 28 January 2016, while 19 days recorded more complaints than the monthly daily average. The quietest day was 2 January 2016, with 300 complaints, noticeably below the monthly average.
Each bar represents one day of the month. Taller bars indicate more complaints.
Where the complaints came from
The 25639 complaints recorded in January 2016 originated from 5650 cities across 54 states and territories. Complaint activity was fairly evenly distributed, with no single state or territory accounting for a large share of reports. A notable concentration at the city level was observed in District of Columbia, where Washington accounted for 107 of the 113 complaints recorded in the state.
The monthly distribution of complaints by state and territory is shown below, with locations ranked by the number of reports recorded.
| State/Territory | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 3079 | 12.0% |
| Florida | 2122 | 8.3% |
| Texas | 1802 | 7.0% |
| New York | 1442 | 5.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 1308 | 5.1% |
| Georgia | 1084 | 4.2% |
| Illinois | 959 | 3.7% |
| Virginia | 880 | 3.4% |
| New Jersey | 755 | 2.9% |
| Ohio | 739 | 2.9% |
| Other states and territories | 11411 | 44.5% |
Location highlight
Washington accounted for nearly all complaints recorded in District of Columbia.
What the complaints were about
Complaints recorded during the month related to 7 different complaint categories. The largest number of complaints fell within Phone, which accounted for 17628 reports. Complaint activity was strongly concentrated in this category, with other categories contributing comparatively fewer reports.
| Complaint category | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 17628 | 68.8% |
| Internet | 4436 | 17.3% |
| TV | 3063 | 11.9% |
| Radio | 378 | 1.5% |
| Emergency | 77 | 0.3% |
| Accessibility | 51 | 0.2% |
| Request for Dispute Assistance | 6 | 0.0% |
Phone complaints
17628 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 68.8% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) | 8283 | 47.0% |
| Robocalls | 4267 | 24.2% |
| Billing | 2045 | 11.6% |
| Privacy | 554 | 3.1% |
| Availability (including rural call completion) | 552 | 3.1% |
| Equipment | 548 | 3.1% |
| Number Portability (keeping your number if you change providers) | 543 | 3.1% |
| Junk Faxes | 357 | 2.0% |
| Cramming (unauthorized charges on your phone bill) | 226 | 1.3% |
| Interference (including signal jammers) | 134 | 0.8% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 83 | 0.5% |
| Slamming (change of your carrier without permission) | 34 | 0.2% |
Telemarketing (including do not call and spoofing) and Robocalls accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Internet complaints
4436 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 17.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1495 | 33.7% |
| Speed | 758 | 17.1% |
| Availability | 707 | 15.9% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 533 | 12.0% |
| Privacy | 443 | 10.0% |
| Interference | 290 | 6.5% |
| Equipment | 209 | 4.7% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Speed and Availability.
TV complaints
3063 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 11.9% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | 1166 | 38.1% |
| Availability | 606 | 19.8% |
| Loud Commercials | 439 | 14.3% |
| Indecency | 374 | 12.2% |
| Equipment | 285 | 9.3% |
| Interference | 138 | 4.5% |
| Privacy | 33 | 1.1% |
| Open Internet/Net Neutrality | 21 | 0.7% |
The remaining complaints in this category were spread across several issues, including Billing, Availability and Loud Commercials.
Radio complaints
378 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 1.5% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Interference | 198 | 52.4% |
| Indecency | 65 | 17.2% |
| Availability | 30 | 7.9% |
| Pirate Radio | 30 | 7.9% |
| Equipment | 21 | 5.6% |
| Commercials/Promotions | 18 | 4.8% |
| Billing | 14 | 3.7% |
Interference and Indecency accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Emergency complaints
77 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.3% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | 32 | 41.6% |
| Other | 24 | 31.2% |
| Interference | 11 | 14.3% |
| Tower | 10 | 13.0% |
Phone and Other accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
Accessibility complaints
51 complaints were recorded in this category during the month, representing 0.2% of the total.
| Issue | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Closed Captioning on TV | 19 | 37.3% |
| Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) | 15 | 29.4% |
| Closed Captioning over the Internet | 10 | 19.6% |
| Emergency Information on TV | 4 | 7.8% |
| Video Description | 3 | 5.9% |
Closed Captioning on TV and Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) accounted for the majority of complaints in this category, with other issues reported less frequently.
The information presented on this page is based on consumer complaint data submitted to regulatory authorities. References to telephone numbers reflect reports made by consumers and do not confirm ownership, authenticity, or that the number was genuinely associated with the call. Caller ID information may be inaccurate or subject to spoofing.
Complaint categories, dates and complainant locations are based on the source records and may contain incomplete, approximate or user-entered information. Location details refer to the complainant’s reported location, not the location of the caller or telephone number. This content is provided for informational purposes only.